Starting School
by Cassie5squared
Summary: A look at the Sorting of four very different students and their feelings about it. Who ever really knows for sure which House is their destiny? Featuring both canon characters and OCs.
1. Sorting

_Andromeda Black, only eleven years old, is about to be Sorted at last, and eager to fit in._

A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Andromeda is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. Characterisations are based primarily on the game and the other players' interpretations.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1964**

After all the impatient waiting, the months and months of missing her big sister and wishing away the time and counting the days, it was finally the most important day of Andromeda's life so far. She was officially a Hogwarts student, and wouldn't be thought of as a baby any longer.

That said, she was secretly quite glad that she was one of the first to be called forward for Sorting; she hadn't liked the idea of standing there watching everyone else and wondering if she'd be the unlucky one who took forever. She stepped up to the stool, catching Bellatrix's eye at the Slytherin table, and gave her a little smile before the brim of the Sorting Hat fell over her eyes.

"Another Miss Black, I see," it said thoughtfully in her ear. "Not as fierce as the last one, though, and there's certainly something that can be said for that love of learning… Ravenclaw might benefit from a mind like that -" She froze, a bolt of panic lancing through her. "But no, you're right, I suppose it had better be SLYTHERIN!"

Swallowing down the brief jolt of terror, Andromeda tried to look confident as the Hat was lifted off her head. Tossing her hair with a little smile, she made her way down to the applauding table on her right. A space was made for her next to Bellatrix, and as she settled down the two girls gave each other a delighted look. As the hall quietened for the next first-year, Andromeda felt her big sister's hand squeeze hers briefly, and felt a warm glow of pride.

She was a Slytherin now, just like the rest of their family, and she would make them all proud.


	2. Expectations

_A young pureblood boy knows exactly where he's meant to be going, and won't take no for an answer._

A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Gideon Wilkes is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. He is semi-canon - a Wilkes is mentioned in the books, but nothing is known of him other than that he was a Death Eater who died "the year before Voldemort fell". The characterisation is therefore wholly mine. Cameos from other students in his year are based on the game.

* * *

 **September 1st 1966**

The journey had been relatively uneventful; not many people tended to bother the first-years apart from other first-years, and Gideon was secretly rather relieved. No matter how confident he'd acted in front of his parents - both to reassure his anxious mother and to avoid accusations of clinginess from his father - he was really quite nervous. He wasn't going to see his family again until Christmas, a good three months off, and in the meantime he had the family honour to uphold.

The sail across the lake, under a dismal, cloudy sky, was interesting enough. Those who had heard stories from older relatives were keeping a lookout for any sign of the lake's inhabitants, mostly the giant squid. For his part, Gideon amused himself watching his fellow students, particularly the Muggle-borns; it was painfully obvious how little they knew about the magical world, the way they were gawping. How they would ever cope with actually trying to do magic was beyond him.

He did his best to be patient as they were taken up to the Sorting, though he couldn't help but feel very self-conscious on realising he was by far the tallest one in the group. Resisting the urge to hunch down and try to hide, he instead concentrated on the Sorting Hat's song and the line of people ahead of him dwindling slowly. Names floated past him - "Black, Narcissa" - "Fawley, Janine" - "Rookwood, Augustus" - and then finally, "Wilkes, Gideon!"

Putting on a confident grin, he strode up to the stool and sat down with a little swirl of his cloak. The Sorting Hat was settled on his head, and a dry voice suddenly muttered, "Well, what have we here? Oh, but you're a difficult one. A quick mind, I can see that, and a lot of courage - and ambition, too, by the look of it. Ravenclaw perhaps - or even Gryffindor - no?"

The idea of going to another House had made him actually grimace. "I belong in Slytherin," he thought fiercely.

"Your loyalty does you credit, I have to say, but you'd excel wherever I put you, young man, I can assure you. I still think you'll fit in well in Gryff-"

"It _has_ to be Slytherin! I'm pureblood, my family's _always_ been there, it's where I _belong_!"

"Very well, very well…" It sounded almost disappointed, but the next moment he heard the shout of "SLYTHERIN!" echo around the hall, and let out a silent sigh of relief. He didn't even want to think about what his father would have said if he'd become a Gryffindor.

The next moment, though, the cocky smile reappeared as the Hat was lifted off his head, and he all but strutted over to the Slytherin table.

This was where it would all begin. One day… one day, when he'd mastered all the magic he could, he'd make his parents prouder than they'd ever been before, and the world would know his name.

But for now, he'd settle down to the Headmaster's speech and the opening feast. It had been a long journey, after all.


	3. A Whole New World

_Remus Lupin can hardly believe he's really at school and being Sorted… even if it's not quite what he expected._

A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Remus Lupin is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. Characterisations are based primarily on the game and the other players' interpretations.

* * *

 **September 1st 1971**

Hogwarts was huge - bigger than Remus had ever imagined a building could even be, not that he'd ever seen many buildings other than regular houses. It looked wonderful, all lit up like something out of a fairytale with its reflection in the lake gleaming back up at it.

Muffled conversation and giggles came from nearby, and he looked over from his perch at the front of his boat to see several boys leaning over the side of the boat and trailing their hands in the water. One of them nearly overbalanced altogether, but the others pulled him back just in time, still laughing, and shoved him into his seat.

"Don' any of yeh go leanin' overboard!" bellowed the huge man at the front of the little fleet; he'd only just noticed what was going on, and despite his rather ferocious appearance, he sounded rather worried. "Jus' sit still an' wait ter get ter the castle!"

Remus had to stifle a little giggle and the urge to point out that it was a bit late for that. It was probably smarter to just do as he was told, he decided, and he sat quite still for the rest of the journey, immersing himself in the stunning sight ahead of him.

He was almost disappointed when they reached the dock, but the feeling vanished as soon as they began climbing up through the castle. He was actually _inside Hogwarts_!

A delighted smile lingered on his face all the way through the castle, into the Great Hall and right through to the Sorting Hat's song. His dad had told him about it, just to make sure he knew what to expect, but just hearing about it couldn't prepare him for the fact the Great Hall seemed almost full to bursting with a sea of black. He'd never been around so many people in his life.

Then he looked up at the teachers' table, and felt a warm glow of relief; right in the middle, in the biggest chair of all, was Professor Dumbledore, looking just as pleased as he could, almost exactly like he had six months ago when he'd come to invite a very lonely boy to come to school. Remus gave him a smile of barely repressed delight, and could have sworn he got a tiny wink in return.

The strict-looking witch standing by the Sorting Hat called for their attention, and he listened carefully. For perhaps the thousandth time since he'd learned he'd be coming to school, he wondered where he'd go. He doubted it would be Slytherin; he wasn't ambitious or cunning or pureblood or any of the rest of that. It was going to be Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, he was sure, and honestly he rather liked the thought of either.

But he couldn't exactly decide for himself, so he patiently waited while the other first-years went up one by one. Watching their reactions to the Sorting was fascinating, if not always comforting; one of the first boys to be called - "Black, Sirius!" - seemed close to tears of shock when he was placed in Gryffindor, and stared almost miserably at the Slytherin table before going to sit down with his new house. Remus could only wonder how it felt to be denied something he'd set his heart on so badly, and hoped the poor guy would be able to come to terms with it soon. If he could he'd have gone over to offer some sympathy at once, but interrupting the Sorting wouldn't be the best idea.

Several more people were called forward, and then finally he heard, "Lupin, Remus!"

He gulped and edged out of the group, trying not to look as worried as he suddenly felt. Another quick glance up at Dumbledore, whose smile was calm and reassuring, settled _some_ of the butterflies in his stomach, but he still felt a bit edgy as the Sorting Hat fell over his eyes.

"Well, this is a surprise, I must say," the Hat said suddenly, and he nearly jumped. "I don't recall meeting a young fellow like you before."

"…You can tell what I am?" he replied, with a pang of fright.

"Of course - it's in your mind, after all. But you can stop worrying, I'm not about to announce it to the room. No, all I'm going to say to them is where you're going. Now, let me see…"

"I won't mind which you pick," he volunteered. "I'm happy with either of them, Hufflepuff or Ravencl-"

"Oh, no no no no, absolutely not, there's only one place for you - GRYFFINDOR!"

Thoroughly startled, Remus stayed where he was until the Hat was lifted off his head again. He all but tripped over his own feet as he got up and nearly staggered towards the cheering table.

A Gryffindor. He was a _Gryffindor_. Oh, Mum and Dad were going to get a long letter tomorrow about this!

He slid into a seat across from Sirius and gave him a tentative smile. It wasn't returned with any real enthusiasm, but it was a start, and he wanted to get off on the right foot with the people he'd be sharing a dorm with.

Once the Sorting was over, they'd been joined by two more boys - the first-year girls seemed to have congregated a bit further down the table - and for the first time he could remember, Remus was having a happy, comfortable conversation with people his own age. Sirius seemed to brighten up a lot more with someone to bounce off, and James Potter, who looked like his hair had lost a fight with a severe hurricane, clearly had plenty of bounce to share. While Remus himself didn't say very much, he was content to listen to the others talking, and comment where it seemed appropriate.

Maybe this was what everyone else felt like. Maybe - even with the curse he was stuck with - it was possible to feel like a normal person after all.


	4. Decisions

_A near-Hatstall experience gives one of the new first-years at Hogwarts something to think about._

A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; William Marshall is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. William is an original character of mine; I have been writing with him for seven years now and have a lot of backstory for him. Jason, another OC, is his closest friend.

* * *

 **September 1st 1972**

"Any guesses where you're goin' to be yet?" said Jason as they approached the castle.

William gave the question some careful thought before pointing at the castle looming over them. "In there."

"Oh, very funny. I _know_ we're goin' to be in there."

"Why'd you ask then?" William said innocently.

"I meant what House, clever clogs."

"I know. I don't know what House I'm going to be in yet. I'm just not going to worry about it, either. My gran says it doesn't matter where you are, because we all learn the same stuff anyway." A grin nearly split William's face, erasing the seriousness and making him look even younger than he already did. "So stop _worrying_."

"I'm not worryin'!" Jason gave his new friend a little shove, but before William could shove back, they reached the castle, and were soon crowding into the Entrance Hall apprehensively. Even those who'd been looking confident up till now seemed just a little intimidated by the grand scale of the place. William and Jason surreptitiously edged closer to each other.

The pair of them had met on the train; William had dived into Jason's compartment to avoid a gang of older students, who'd been sprinting down the passageway trying to escape a Prefect. The two boys had quickly decided they liked each other, and had spent much of the journey chatting amiably, in between daring each other to try the Every-Flavour Beans they'd bought and laughing at the expressions on each other's faces.

It turned out that Jason was "practically pureblood", in his own words, though he'd immediately shrugged this off with the disclaimer, "but all that stuff about purebloods bein' better is stupid anyway". This had made William confident enough to share his own family history, with which Jason had immediately sympathised.

As the doors to the Great Hall opened, the two boys in the middle of the group glanced at each other and grinned, before settling down to wait patiently through the introduction of the Sorting Ceremony.

"Argyle, Jason!"

Looking back at his friend and receiving an encouraging smile, Jason edged through the little crowd to sit on the stool. He was obviously doing his best not to look as worried as some of the others as the Sorting Hat was lowered onto his head. The rip at the brim of the hat opened -

"SLYTHERIN!"

As Jason sat down, William felt a pang of regret. If there was one table he _knew_ he wasn't going to be joining tonight… Still, no rules said they couldn't stay friends anyway.

He was rather looking forward to being Sorted himself. When his name was called, he stepped up eagerly to have the Sorting Hat placed on his head.

The next few minutes were surprisingly intense; the Hat had picked out Ravenclaw and Gryffindor as the two options, but was having a very hard time deciding between them. William debated back and forth with it over the choices and the reasons behind them, determined to make sure he ended up where he was absolutely best suited.

Finally, after what felt like forever but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, the Hat said, "You've got to be the toughest decision this year, Marshall. Are you sure you don't have a preference?"

William bit his lip. He wasn't sure, really, and was about to say as much when he remembered that his dad had been a Gryffindor himself. If there was any better way to honour him than being in the same house, William couldn't think of one.

"That's as good a reason as any," the Hat said wryly, and bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

With a huge bubble of pride swelling in his chest, William stepped down from the stool and joined the Gryffindor table. He caught Jason's eye across the all and gave him a lopsided smile and a shrug, which the redhead returned good-humouredly. They weren't going to let House rivalries spoil things for them.

And best of all, William thought, there were more Aurors he knew of who were ex-Gryffindors than any other House. He was in the best place he could be to go where he wanted in life, and that alone was enough to keep a smile on his face for the rest of the evening.


End file.
